Wire and cable rewinder



Sept. 22, 1953 T. K. NILAND 2,652,630

WIRE. AND CABLE REWINDER Filed March 28, 1949 l 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 3mm N I ThomasK/Wand ATTORNEYS Sept. 22, 1953 T. K. NILAND 2,652,630

WIRE AND CABLE REWINDER Fileo. March 28, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 game/WM Thomas K/Vi/and 01, 13.0fm g -M ATTQRNEYS Sept. 22, 1953 T. K. NILANDI 2,652,630

WIRE AND CABLE REWINDER Filed March 28, 1949 4'Sheets-Sheet s 3mm Thomas K/W/and I ATTORNEYS Sept. 22, 1953- T; K. NILAND WIRE AND CABLE REWINDER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 28, 1949 Jrw'wwtoz Thomas K. Ni/ana' 5 wxifw q ATOR/VEYS Patented Sept. 22, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WIRE AND CABLE REWINDER V Thomas.K. Niland, Houston, Tex.

ppli'cation March 28, 1949, Serial No. 83,829

cable handling and measuring apparatus which is adapted to receive a cable drum and rotatably support it while it is passed through a metering "gauge, the impulse which u'nwirid's the cable being the power driven rotation of the reel'which receives it as it is pulled through the" gauge.

It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus of this class in which the cable drum to be'unwo'und" and the reel to" receive the cable may both be positioned 'by mechanically manipulated means both'prepaiatory to, and after, the unwinding operation. v

It is still another object of this invention to provide an apparatus of class in which the metering gauge through which the cable passes to be measured may bemanipulated to insure that it winds up evenly over 'the'length of the receiving drum or reel. v

It is a further objec't'of thi's invention to control the speed at which'the'wire or cable is unwound by providing appropriate speed regulatory means upon the apparatus. V

It is still a further object of this invention to provide the reel shaft 'of the apparatus with means thereon which engages with the driving means only when the reel'is in position to be driven, the shaft also having adjustable means thereon to drive reels of various diameters.

It is still another "object of this invention to provide an apparatusof this class which may be operated by a single operator.

It is yet a further obje'ct of this invention to provide an apparatus of this class in which the bearing hooks for lifting the cable are universally connected with the bearing hook journal on the cable lifting jack screw. g v

It is yet a further'object of this invention to provide an apparatus of this-class operable by a single operator who manipulatesthe metering gauge to insure evenwinding up of the cable on the reel while at the same time .he has. at hand the switch to stop the apparatus responsive to the indications of the ineter discs.

It is still a further objectxof this invention to provide apparatus of this-classwhichis adapted to receive and measure out a coil or wire as well 9); Q "7- T y I -2 Claims. (Cl. 33 -129) It is yet a further object of this invention to provide coil handling apparatus of this class which is adapted to receive coils of different diameters.

It is also an object of this invention to provide apparatus of this class in which the individual dolly units may be operated separately as transportation unit.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a method of speedily and easily measuring while transferring lengths of cable, wire, or of any type of flexible line from one reel, cable drum, or fixture, to another.

Other and further objects of this invention will be obvious when the specification is considered in connection'with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the apparatus taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1 with part of the structure shown in section;

' Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation, part in section, taken along line'3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation, part in section, taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation taken along line 5-5 of Fig; 4, with the apparatus in driving engagement, and with the structure extraneous to the sprocket omitted for purposesof clarits;

Fig.6 is an enlarged plan detail taken along line 66 of Fig.2 and on the far side of the cable drum; i

'Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation taken along line'1'i' of Fig. 6;

Fi 2; I

Fig.--14 is a view" taken along line I l-l4 of Fig. 13.

As shown in Figs-1 and 2, a dolly I has uprights 2 thereon which are maintained rigidly erect by the braces 3 between top of uprights and dolly base A. The uprights are hollow and of 55 substantially rectangular. cross-section, and have slots 5 extending down the vertical length thereof. A jack screw 6 is supported for rotation by bearings i at the top and bottom, respectively, of the uprights, and prior to assembly of the jack screws and uprights, bearing hook assemblies 8, as shown more clearly in Figs. 3, 6, and 8, have their journals iii threaded on to the jack screws so that upon assembly the hooks will ride in the slots 5 as will be hereinafter described. The hexa-gonal heads i i of the jack screws ii extend above the top bearings i, and the socket wrench l2 may be fitted thereupon to rotate the jack screws with the result that the bearing hooks 8, being nonrotatably located in the slots 5, must move vertically along the screws upon such rotation.

In order that both bearing hooks 9 may be moved uniformly at the same elevation a bevel gear i3 is installed on the lower end of each jack screw 3, and these gears are interconnected for transmission purposes by the bevel-geared shafts i l, and it, mounted respectively in the right hand, front, and left hand elements of the base i. In view of such connection it is obvious that a socket wrench it. may be rotatably applied to either hexagonal jack screw end H to move both -z bearing hooks ii at the same time so that they will travel vertically at the same elevation while being so moved.

It is thus possible to lower the bearing hooks 9 to a position at which the shaft l'i, having the cable drum is thereon, may be positioned therein, after which the jack screws e may be rotated to raise the drum is to that elevation from which the cable is may be easily unwound.

The cable is from the drum it may be paid out through a receptacle 29 having pipe sections 2! at either end of a backing plate 22, the backing plate being in turn welded to the back side of a metering gauge 23. Such gauge has a shaft or spindle extending therebelow, and terminates in a turned down end which rotatably bears in the bearing cylinder 25 of the pivot plate 25. The pivot plate in turn is rigidly connected to a spindle having a turned down end similar to spindle 2 3, and thus swivels on a swivel post 2'3 which is fixed to the dolly and extends vertically upward therefrom.

The metering gauge 23 is of any well known design, comprising the fixed lower wheel 28 over which the cable travels, and the top wheel as i which is yieldably forced by spring pressure, not shown, against the cable, and which is adjustable by means not shown, to accommodate cables of various diameters. These gauge details, being conventional, are omitted as are the details of the gear train through which the lower wheel 28 actuates the meter discs at to indicate the length of cable paid out in three digits.

The second dolly 3! is of similar construction to the first dolly i as regards uprights, braces, and elements by which the bearing hooks 9 are moved vertically, but additionally this dolly has mounted thereon the driving mechanism 32 by which the reel 68 is driven.

The shaft of the motor 34 has a pulley 35 thereon which is connected by means of a V-belt 3% to drive the larger pulley 31 which is mounted on the shaft 38. This shaft 38 is supported by arms 39, which are pivotally mounted on the dolly 3 I.

The shaft 38 has thereon the pulley 49 which is connected by means of the V-belt 4! to drive the pulley 42 which is mounted on the shaft 53. This shaft 43 is supported by suitable bearings, as the pillow blocks 44, which are mounted on the dolly frame. The shaft 43 also has thereon the sprocket 65 which is connected by means of the chain 4% to drive the sprocket 4'5, which is mounted on the shaft 48. This shaft 53, in turn, is supported for rotation in suitable bearings 49 which are mounted on the dolly frame.

A sprocket 5i: on shaft 38 is connected through chain at to drive the driving sprocket 52 on the stud 53. This stud 53 is journalled in the radial bearing unit 5 1, which is supported by the bracket 55 on the upright 2.

The shaft 56, as shown in Fig. 4, has a central section 57, and terminates in a turned down section or end 59. A collar BI is fixed on end 59 of the shaft 56 by means of set screw 82. A lever (it is welded to the collar 6!. A roller bearing unit 653 is insertable over the turned down shaft section 59 to shoulder against the collar 6!, and the driving collar 65, having the dog pins H thereon is finally installed on the end of the turned down section by means of the set screw 55.

The shaft 55;, on its other end 59a, has a roller bearing unit 63 and an end collar we installed, and this end is then inserted through the cylindrical opening 58 through the reel, and the flanged collar I35 is then inserted over the end of the shaft, and the set screw use tightened to firmly hold the reel confined between the flange it? of this collar and the flange lbs of the collar 6!.

The lever arm 6'! may then be pivotally con nected to the lever 66, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, so that the driving end 58 of the lever may be inserted into the driving hole 69 in the reel disc 73. As the reels (it which may be employed are of various sizes and consequently have driving holes as spaced at various distances from the axes thereof, the lever arm. 57 may be pivoted to fit the holes 69 on various sized reels.

With the shaft 55 in the reel the assembly is rolled to the dolly 3i and is positioned to locate the roller bearings 53 above the bearing hooks ii. The bearing hooks 9 are then raised by means hereinabove described, to pick up the reel assembly so that the roller bearings 63 may be received in the arcuate portions of the bearing hooks to support the reel for rotation.

The bearing hooks are then raised to top posit-ion so that the dog pins ii on driving collar 54 may be positioned to be driven by the pins 52 on drive sprocket shown in 5.

The shaft i1 is of identical construction to the shaft 55 regards the central section 5'5 the turned down ends 59 and Eta, and the units assembled thereon are essentially the same, with. the exception that the end of shaft ll, which has the sleeve 31 thereon, has substituted for the driving collar 54 of the shaft 56, the brake assembly l 19.

As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the brake H0 includes a stud il passing through the spring H2 and being rigidly fixed in the shaft end 59. The handle or nut H3 is threaded on the stud i ii, and may be threaded down on the spring M2 to force the friction flange H3 against the disc H4, and the disc H4 against the face of the friction cup H5 which is keyed to the shaft end 59, so that in assembly it faces against the roller bearingunit 63- and the side of the hearing hook Q. The disc H4 has a pin H6 thereon which engages stop ill to prevent the disc Ht from rotating with the cup I [5.

In order to control the speed at which the reel 5B rotates, the speed control mechanism "14 is installed on the dolly 3|. The bracket 75, having teeth is in the; accesso i s-anion thereof.

isrigidly fixed to the brace-"3' and thelever '11, of any well known design, is pivotally mounted thereon so-that the latch I8 thereof may be brought into latching engagement with the varicus" teeth. The rodl9 is pivotally' connected to the lever II at -one end, andat the other end is pivotally connected to the arm 80. The arm 80, in turn, is rigidly fixed tothe shaft 8| which is supported for rotation on bearings .82 which are mounted on the dolly 3I.

- The arm 83', of the same size-as the arm.,80, is rigidly fixed to the end of-the shaft 48 L which is-opposite from thearm-BU, and extends.par.- allel with the arm- 80. -Ihe rod 84.. is 'pivotally connected to thearm 83 at one end and to. one

of "the arms 39 at the othenendxthereof. The means employed to controlispeedzirati between motor 3-4 and theudriving .zsprocketc52 may be any type of.speed control .mechanism whiclnmay 'be responsiveto the actuation of the rod l9, and in the specific embodiment dis.- closedthe speed control constitutes a V-belt speed change. device of conventional design, described hereinafterin detail.

. Thespring 85 .is attached to the arm 39 at oneendand to thedolly 3| at the other to yieldably oppose the movement of thespeedcontrol mechanism I4 resulting from the rotation of the lever 11, say in a counter-clockwise direction, as shown in Fig. 2. Such counter-clockwise rotation pivots thearms 39 in the same counter-clockwise direction. as viewed in Fig. 2.

. The pulley 31 comprises the part '8] fixed on the shaft 33 and .thepart. :89 which may move axially along the shaft on a key, notshown, and against the spring 92. Assuming a counterclockwise movement of the arms 39, which would tend to create slack in the V-belt 36 thespring 92 will force the pulley part 89 toward the part 81 to take up this slack. In doing this the ratio of the pitch diameter of the pulley 31 to the pitch diameter of the pulley is increased with the result that the speed of rotation of the reel '50 is decreased, W e t The line 93 leads from the motor 34 and has the switch 9"! at the end thereof. The operator stands. by the metering-gauge 23' as the cable :9 is paid out therethrough, and swivels the gauge back and forth transversely of the directionof travel of' the" cable so that it winds up evenly on the reel I30. From such position he also observesthe meter reading and at the same time he is accessible to the lever 'l'I to control the speed o'f rotation of the reel "6 0,fand

to actuate the switch 9T to stop the motor'when desired, as when a certain meter reading is indicated. I t e The dollies'l "and 3| 'maybepulled'as by the handles 99, to any desired position where they may be connected for operation. To maintain them in fixed operative position the brake shafts I00, which are threadable in the dolly bases 4, may be screwed inwardly against the dolly wheels IOI.

When it may not be practical to wind an amount of wire or cable on the receiving reel, the dolly I may be drawn to any desired location independently of the dolly 3I, the brake H0 adjusted, and the cable or wire measured out manually, or drawn onto another power driven machine, as desired. Also, it may be desirable to by-pass the metering gauge on occasion.

Also, in cases where it is not desired to handle 6 af whble -ro i'cgy gt eifivfind. readily pted to handle m n e sp aced intervals are connected to' the hub -I2-I end-"extend radially therefrom and have angles "I25 connected to-either side thereof'and to one end of the hub IZ-I -t'o' serve as the track" I26 on which maybe slidably mounted the brackets Each bracket I30 has" a top plate"l2lan'd'under -plate=I'28 with spacers I29 being inserted in between these plates; the assembly of plates and spacers being connected'by bolts I3 I. A wire receiving member I 32 is=rigidly=joined to each top plate I21, and extends perpendicularly therefrom. 'An arm I33 is mounted toward the end of each wire receiving member I32, and as shown in Fig l i, this arm may taketwo positions as determined by the two locating holes I35. These holes receive the pin I36, rigidly connected to the arm I33, the arm being pivotally mounted by means of bolt I31 and spring I38 so that thelforcing outwardly of the-arm I33 compresses the spring I38 and permits the pin I36 to be lifted from one hole I3'5-to the other.-- 7 a v I A plurality of spaced holes I34 are located'along one angle I25 of each.-'track I26. Each 'slidable bracket I30 has a spring I39fixed atone end I40 to? the top plate I21 of thei bracket .and' at the other endthe spring has apin I4I rigidlyfix'ed thereto. This pin I4I may extend through the hole I42 in the plate I21 to, engage a hole I34 in. the angle I25 to thereby locate the wire receiving member ,l32 at av radius fromtheaxis of the hub I2! to receive a coil .ofddesireddiameter; The spring I33 is sufficiently strong to hold-the pint MI in engagement with the locating hole I34 in operation, yet is flexible enough to permit the spring to be lifted to-withdraw the pin I4I for re-location of the. member I32 when a 'difierent; diameter of coil is to behandled.

The hub I2I; has a plate I43 concentric with; the axis thereof and fixed to the hub and'angles: I25. to form a bearingzfor thefiangedcollarl05 to position the fixture I20 on the shaft I1.

. Thefixture I is provided to I be mounted on the shaft 56 to sreceive the wire as it is uncoiled from the coil on the fixture I20 on shaft I1.- This fixture is of similar construction to fixture I20 except in place of the brackets I30 of fixture I20, it is only necessary to provide members I32 which are rigidly connected to-'the-arms-"I5l, since it isnot necessary that these-members be adjustably positioned.

It is a feature of the construction of the arms I33 that they are beveled at I53. and the receiving members I32 are also beveled at I52 so that the coils of wire or cable may be easily slid on and off the fixture.

The construction of the bearing hook assembly 8 is a special feature of this invention whereby the cable drums, reels, and coil fixtures may be speedily elevated with a minimum of friction. As shown most clearly in Figs. 3, 6, and 8, each upright 2 has a minimum clearance between the slot 5 to permit the sides of the slot to serve as guides for the bearing hook 9. The rollers I60 and IBI extend on each side of the bearing hook and ride respectively on the inside and outside of the side I63 of the upright.

As shown most clearly in Figs. 6 andp8, the bearing hook 9 is bored at I69 to receive the spring I68 and the flange I64 of the sleeve journal I is also bored, so that the sleeve I62 may be inserted to connect bearing hook 9 and journal ID. The spring I68 may then be inserted within the sleeve to bear at the bottom of the bore 189 and within the sleeve I62. The flange :64 of the sleeve journal ID has an annular segment I65 therearound which is of a convexity to fit into the concave upper end I66 of the bearing cylinder I61. This bearing cylinder I6! is rigidly connected to the bearing hook 9 and extends around the sleeve journal It] so as to leave a tolerance thereinbetween to allow for side play induced by any deviation from the vertical in the path of descent and ascent of the cable drum, reel, or coil.

As the journal I0 is moved upward by the rotation of the jack screw 6, the interaction between the journal I8, and the bearing cylinder I61, as

connected by'the pin I62, is the .feature of this invention which makes it easily possible for heavy cable drums and other loads to be lifted by the bearing books 9 with minimum friction between these assembled elements.

Broadly, this invention is applicable to the economical handling of cable drums, reels, and coils of various types and sizes, and is characterized by the provision of portable paying out and receiving units having a metering gauge interposed thereinbetween which may be actuated by a single operator to insure the even winding up of the cable or wire on the receiving unit. It is also within the scope of this invention to provide such units with positioning devices and with suitable braking, speed control, and stopping devices by which the single operator may control the operation of the apparatus.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device for handling line as wire and cable, the combination of, a dolly, uprights there- 'on, bearing means movably mounted on said uprights to receive a cable drum shaft for rotation therein, means associated with said uprights for manipulation to move said bearing means up and down between a lower drum loading and an upper cable transferring position, a second dolly, other uprights thereon, other bearing means movably mounted on said other uprights to receive a reel shaft for rotation therein, means associated with other uprights for manipulation to move said other bearing means up and down between a lower reel loading and an upper cable receiving position, a metering gauge adapted to receive, measure, and record the length of cable which may be passed therethrough from said cable said second dolly for driving said reel, and means connected to, and adapted for manipulation to stop said power driven means.

2. In a device for handling line as wire and cable, the combination of, a dolly, uprights thereon, bearing means movably mounted on said uprights to receive a shaft for rotation therein, a fixture adapted to receive coils of various diameters and adapted to be mounted on said shaft, means associated with said uprights for manipulation to move said bearing means up and down between a lower coil loading and an upper wire transferring position, a second dolly, other uprights thereon, other bearing means movably mounted on said other uprights to receive a second shaft for rotation therein, a second fixture for receiving wire and adapted to be mounted on said second shaft, means associated with said other uprights for manipulation to move said other bearing means up and down between a lower fixture loading and an upper wire receiving position, a metering gauge adapted to receive, measure, and record the length of Wire which may be passed therethrough from said first fixture to said second fixture, swivel means for mounting said gauge on at least one of said dollies for manipulation so that said wire winds evenly upon second fixture, speed-controlled, power driven means on said second dolly for driving said second shaft, and means connected to, and adapted for manipulation to stop said power driven means.

THOMAS K. NILAND.

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